The Face Shop Haul

I'm a bit here or there about The Face Shop. I was elated when I found one in Perth and dipped into the Korean products I'd never tried before; I loved them, but slowly as I tried products, they were pretty much... Maybe average with a bit of appeal of Asian skincare being available in Perth. I swore to their BB cream, and I've tried a range of products from both their skincare and from their makeup, and I will admit that some are pretty damn good. But for some reason, I can't bring myself back to that level of fandom I once had. Either way, on the way home, I passed through Piccadilly Arcade and The Face Shop just seemed to invite me in, and give them a second chance.

I only picked up four items: two mascaras (one is a base), an eyebrow powder kit and a face sponge for cleansing, but I always get given chocka samples, and this time, a free toiletry bag too! Lord knows what I was thinking when I decided I needed more mascaras, but those were what I looked at and what I decided I wanted. I had tried out one of their waterproof fibre mascaras before and that was actually fantastically shocking; it gave me dark, full, long lashes with a curl and didn't smudge, but it started clumping pretty quickly which was it's downfall. However, these weren't that much more than drugstore mascaras (in Perth at least, and actually cheaper), so I picked up FACEit All About Mascara Base (01) and FACEit All About Mascara Long Lash (05). They're both fibre mascaras although I didn't actually realise the base was one too until I opened it up at home (it didn't seem like one in store based on the tester), but I like that too. Versatility to use with other not-so-building mascaras. 

More eyebrow products, I know, I know. But I haven't actually had a new powder for a while, and the one I had previously (Benefit Brow Zings) no longer really matches and is getting a bit groddy. The Face Shop one looked pretty nifty, I liked the colours, and I've never tried an Asian brow product, so hey, let's give it a go.  

Finally, I was wondering around the last legs of the store, wondering what else I "needed", and, while I loved the lipsticks, I decided they were a bit too pricey for now and went to look at the nifty tools that The Face Shop had to offer. I was contemplating on purchasing the face cleansing brush (don't remember the exact name), but it was a small, round, flat top brush that you use with your cleanser to help clean your pores better. But then I thought hey, didn't I want a face cleansing sponge for a while? And I found they offered one, so I chose it (probably pick up the brush next time round, it was so cute!) and was good to go. It was actually moist when I took it out of the packaging, I suppose to make it look more appealing being fluffy? But I will have to rinse it out before use because of the slight chemical smell doesn't seem too wonderful.

All-in-all, I'm quite please. Didn't go super extravagant, but picked up some essentials, so I don't think I'll be all that let down either way. Perhaps not a love for now, but a reliable friend? 

Priceline 40% makeup haul

Well, well, well. It happened to be perfect timing that I was just in the mood for picking up some new eyeliners (god, I just HAD to watch Charlotte Tilbury's cateye video, didn't I?) and after swatching some high-end pencil liners that are said to be waterproof like Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil and NARS, they fell flat. Well, they smudged all over, rather. I'm not a big fan of drugstore, but when my favoured Illamasqua Medium Pencils have been discontinued, I decided to get a selection of pencils for cheap, rather than shelling out for a high end one that doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Priceline happened to have a flash sale (yesterday and today only), where all makeup was 40% off. I might have heard good things about Rimmel Scandaleyes but that smudged like crazy (like, seriously crazy) on me too, so might as well go back to the tried and true: Revlon Colourstay range. Admittedly, I haven't tried anything from them, but after all the talk of that range being holy grail for some, no hurt trying, right? I also thought back to how that liquid liner I had by Bourjois just seemed to last and last on me, even more than my other favoured liners by K-Palette and BYS. Considering how pleased I've been with the other products I've tried by them, why not? And let's throw in a mascara by them too for good measure. And, hey, 40%, might see what else catches my eye, like the raved-about Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer and that cream eyeshadow brush I've been wanting by Model's Prefer that never seems to be in stock when I want it. 

left to right, before: colourstay, clubbing eyeliner, kohl and contour, sourcil precision

smudgey smudgey

My main criteria for pencil eyeliners is smudgeproof (and hopefully waterproof alongside), basically it just needs to stay put and for a long while too. So the Revlon Colourstay Eyeliner seemed pretty promising and the Bourjois Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner joined in. Bourjois also offered a 16 hour pencil, their Kohl and Contour pencil, which seemed quite dry in-store (which I quite like because it could mean a longer lasting time). My eyebrows have been out of whack, and I liked the texture of the Sourcil Precision so I felt this would be alright to try out too. I was a lot more surprised and impressed by the Colourstay, they didn't have a tester in-store, so I only got to try this when at home. It almost instantly "stains" the skin, so that's promising. The Bourjois are better than other eyeliners I've tried, but we'll see how smudgey it gets on the eyes.The eyebrow pencil is quite a bit darker on the face than the swatch, but a light hand and a lot of brushing through helps; I'm still getting used to it either way.

I've only had one Bourjois mascara in the past, and not only was it quite impressive on my less-than-impressive eyelashes, but it was waterproof and smudgeproof too (I don't think that was part of it's claim though, so an even bigger bonus). There were so many mascaras on offer, it was hard to pick one. I was considering the "fan" one, all of them offered volume, one even rotated! But, it was getting closer to the time to head to work, so Clubbing mascara it is, I liked the liner, and it's what made me consider to look at Bourjois, so might as well get the matching mascara. I used it this morning and it's quite volumnising, but not too lengthening. I love the goopiness of the mascaras I've tried by them either way. 

The Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser: Dark Circles is said to be an amazing, natural-finish yet a good coverage concealer for under eyes. I got this in the shade medium and tried it out this morning, and so far, it's okay. Pretty okay. Definitely pretty good for a drugstore (to be that person), but my other concealers that are highend like MAC and YSL just seem to work better on my skin. I do like the sponge tip, but it still might be a bit harsh for the thin skin around the eyes.

There's a couple good brushes that Model's Prefer offers, they're quite good priced too, and I think fare a lot better than the other brushes that are available. This cream eye shadow brush is a fairly dense brush, slightly domed on top, but flat as well. Just a little better than your regular eyeshadow brush, but the size is really fantastic, especially for smaller eyes like mine. 

Not too bad a haul, at all, right? Of course, after getting home from work and reviewing my purchases, you can't help but always want more. A shame that my boyfriend feels uncomfortable buying me makeup, but Christmas beauty kits are slowly becoming available, so there's hope!

Hauly Moly.

The haul of all hauls, and I didn't even purchase these items myself! My mother had been overseas visiting my dad for the past few months, so I gave her a list of things to maybe pick up if she felt like, and I had no idea she'd get so much stuff off the list. Pretty much, if not all of, the list, in fact. And thus, I present, the haul to end all hauls! (For now... wait until Christmas rolls around, I love the Christmas gift sets, great for others and for myself). 

Lordy.

The line-up.

You'll notice the majority of products are by MAC, of course. I can't go past half-price MAC, I usually ask for one or two or five things from MAC whenever my mum is headed up the Americas. NARS also gets a mention, but I'm playing it safe on one of their products only. One of the famous Too Faced bronzers makes its way into my collection, as well as Urban Decay making an introduction. And who can go past freebies from Estee Lauder, they never let me down, and another newbie, we have Mirenesse.

The face products.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Medium/Deep Matte Bronzer
Love bronzer, this one smells like chocolate. Too Faced offers so many bronzers, but I heard this one you can't go past.

NARS Bronzing Powder in Casino
Hey, another bronzer. Don't judge. I love bronzer, this one is meant to be universal, too. Oh, and its NARS. Come on.

MAC Lightful skincare
Tiny cute jar samples of the lightful cleanser, essence, serum and cream. I was tempted to actually buy some of this range in Perth, but staved off due to cries from my wallet. So, its nice to get a test of them first. Apparently the essence/toner works wonders.

MAC Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm Compact SPF 30 in Light Plus
Ah, MAC jumps on the bandwagon too with the BB creams. I specifically wanted the MAC one, not just because I love the brand, but also because it's in a compact form. Cream formulas really do work best for me, I think.

The eye products.

Urban Decay Naked Basics
Yay, my first Urban Decay palette. My SIL has like, five of them (not really, maybe more like three), but still. If she rates them, then I want to try it out too. I went for the Basics rather than the bigger Naked or Naked 2 due to hearing from youtubers that have all palettes would choose the Basics palette if they could only have one.

MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion in Greenluxe
I have this palette, but in the Smokeluxe, love the texture of the shadows, and the colours in Greenluxe are so very pretty, almost pastel, but with that gorgeous shimmer and depth.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow
A little GWP (as were the wash bags), I'm guessing when mum picked up something from her favourite brand. The packaging is really cute, not something that I'd really expect of Estee Lauder, the palette has four shades of greens and golden browns.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pen in Universal Light
I am so excited to try this, I love the look when brow pens are used, the only unfortunate thing is that I've now dyed my hair completely black, and this pen may not match too well. I could always pass it onto my SIL I guess, but she has naturally gorgeous brows.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara in Black (01)
Ah, a classic. I actually have two of these samples already, but I don't mind having more. It's a good mascara, lasts long, makes your lashes pop too. Again, this is from the GWP.

The lip products.

MAC lipsticks
Well, of course the lip products would turn out in the greatest numbers. Three lustres in Plink!, High Tea and Lovelorn; an amplified creme in Saint Germain; a mineralize rich lipstick in lush life; two sheen supreme lipglass tints in gwi-yo-mi and kiss kiss. Reviews and swatches will definitely be coming up, maybe a MAC lipstick collection part two?

Estee Lauder pure colour lipsticks
Two more freebies, from different GWP packs; one is in shade Crystal Baby, the other is Barely Nude. They're both creme finishes, Crystal Baby is a muted peachy colour, and barely nude is a neutral brown shade, which I quite love. They're both quite natural looking on the lips, but still a nice pigment.

Mirenesse Velvet Lip Moisture Shine
I don't remember exactly where my mum said she acquired this, but she got it as a freebie somewhere. It so far seems super sticky, but gosh, does it smell lovely, like cupcakes.

Aaand that's my big haul! Not too shabby at all, but geez, how many lipsticks can a girl have, right? Never enough. Never enough cosmetics.

When I want something, boy, will I get it. The Beach Life Palette preview

I was intrigued when youtube guru Michelle Phan announced that she was releasing her own cosmetics line, Em Cosmetics with the iconic item being the Life Palette. A very large, refillable palette with 24 eyeshadows, four blushes/bronzers, and eight lipsticks/lipglosses, all at the luxurious price of US$75. Still, though the palette stuck in my mind, I was unable to order it straight to Australia, as Em only ships to US currently... But the I read Rae's review of the palettes, and so heavily did I start coveting the Beach Life Palette, that I became determined to get my hands on it. So I turned to a forward shipping company, shipito. So I ended up paying about US$140 all up for the US$75 Life Palette, but I am still so happy to probably be one of the first in Australia to own it.

This actually arrived a lot faster than I thought it would, a total of twenty days after I placed my assisted shopping request on shipito, so good lord, when my brother dropped of the package to me, I was so excited. Cute deep bright pink crepe paper wrapped up my order that was surrounded in super big bubble wrap to keep it all safe. And then a handwritten note from Michelle Phan herself. The cardboard packaging for the Life Palette is, to be honest, a bit tacky. The flap is sealed by velcro dots which opens to a clear window to reveal the palette. I mean, the target audience is more apparent here, considering the majority of Michelle Phan's viewers on youtube are younger girls. 

The primary packaging gets a bit better though. Most people say that it looks cheap, and, I get that. The clear acrylic and the white was probably not the best choice colour and texture wise, but the shape is nice and the packaging itself is solid too. The magnetic closure of the palette makes it feel really secure, and it having a magnetized base minimizes the chance of the pans falling out, unlikely though considering the packaging seems really buff. I'm not sure whether I like the "artist palette" layout, but then again, what shapes would really fit all that amount in? And I always love when companies include possible looks into palettes. It just helps you have another option of how to wear the makeup. 

Obviously, as the palette is refillable, and the purpose of the Life Palette is so you can have the option of customizing a selection that you need for the time being, it's really nifty that included is a little depotting tool. It kind of looks like an embossing pen, but smaller and all you do is place it in the little divot in the shade you want to pick out and pop it out, then pop it into the travel palette (which I got free with this purchase!). It might take me a bit to get used to this tool (already made a dip in one of the lipsticks when I played about with it), but I've never depotted anything before. The Life Palette also comes with a double ended brush, one side is a regular shadow brush and the other is a flat angled brush. Again, though the brush part itself seems pretty okay, the plastic holding seems a bit cheap. On the positive side, the travel palette actually has a really nice mirror in it and does seem fit for being banged about in my bag. 

See, this is why I chose the Beach Life Palette out of all the options. I love the colours, and it seemed (to me) to have the most variety. A selection of pinks, some warm neutrals, halloween-y feel shades and, of course, aquatic colours too, I reckon I could get a damn lot of use of this palette. I don't go too dark for eyeshadow looks, so this palette works out nicely for me as it has more medium and lighter tones shades. So far, what has caught my eye are more shades from the third quadrant, I love the orange and the shimmery dark brown black shade.

While most people alike were interested in the palette, (and of course other items in her line), it's unfortunate that most of the focus went straight to the price. But consider this, in Australia it costs AU$65 for the MAC Veluxepearl palette, so comparing six shadows just to the 24 eyeshadows, it doesn't seem too bad now. In fact, it works out to be just over US$2 per shade. I'm super excited to start trying out this palette, so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts about this palette! I really want to give this one a really nice thorough try, I've heard a lot of mixed reviews, so, the best way to know about a product is to try it out yourself.

I purchased this from Em cosmetics for US$75 (shipping only available to US residents), through using assisted purchase from shipito to ship it to Australia.

The "interview went well but let's not jinx it, I'm still happy though" haul.

So I had an interview today, in fact, a third interview with the same company. Boy, are these guys thorough, but I am very, very hopeful in landing a place. I put a lot of effort into my makeup beforehand, A LOT. I mean, like, almost an hour. And then a lot of fussing over and over about the foundation and about the eyeshadow. The eyeshadow was fixed easily, should have just kept it basic with the Blue Brown duo-chrome Pigment by MAC and that solved everything, but I was really self-conscious of my skin. I was pretty well covered using a mix of NARS Sheer Glow and MAC Studio Fix Fluid, but you could still see some hyperpigmentation, old acne scars, a tad bit of redness peaking through. But the interview went well. Really well. I don't want to jinx it, but damn I was quite happy walking out. And so a treat was clearly in order, right?

I picked up a humble three items, first stopping in at the Estée Lauder counter and decided to test out the ever raved about Double Wear foundation. Oh my god, more on that in a second, but let's just say I was impressed. And then I stopped over at The Balm section of David Jones, and played around a bit and picked up a blending brush. 

left to right, without flash: stay-in-place heavy swatch, stay-in-place blended, mineral rich loose powder heavy swatch, mineral rich loose powder blended

With Flash

Okay, Estée Lauder. First, let me say the gentleman, Ben, was so nice and helpful. I've never been to the Estée Lauder counter for myself, usual just go with my mum and get whatever GWP that she gets, but what with my fretting about my base today, I gave in and went to go have a look-see. I had a brief look at how the shades work, it goes 1 for the lightest intensity to (I think) up to 4 (maybe 6 in North America) for the deepest intensity and then have cool, warm or neutral shades in each. And then some other number at the end, which is indicates the undertone strength. Ben helped match me to Cashew (3W2) in the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup, and Intensity 3.0 in Double Wear Mineral Rich Loose Powder Makeup.

Literally, my reaction when he held up the mirror was "wow". It matched wonderfully, and it seriously covered up my hyperpigmentation, acne scars, redness. My skin looked so glorious and just so even and I couldn't stop smiling. Why the hell did it take me so long to dip in?! And, from what I've read, the all day claim really rings true: your makeup will look the same as it did in the morning. Goddamn, this is a damn good foundation, and the packaging is nifty and cute too. I feel so stylish and professional and grown up. 

Ben even put blush on me and everything, just so lovely the whole time. And even chucked in 5 samples of their Advanced Night Repair serum in the bag too. Good god will I be going back to Estée Lauder to investigate other amazing products, the service was so excellent too.

And how am I meant to apply this wonderful foundation without a brush? I wasn't even that interested in the brush range by theBalm considering what I had seen were basically just double ended brushes. Not too keen on those, I mean, how do you store them? But, I saw this dome shaped brush peek out and I grabbed at it and, ooh, not double ended, first hurdle passed. Dome shaped? Good, looking for one of those, don't have one of those. Sturdy AND super soft? OH MY GOD, where do I pay? The downside of this brush (and thank god this brush will only be in my brush holder at home), the... "artwork" on it is so not my style. Bright green saying Blend a Hand indicating the brush name, and on the other side, sunburst ochre and beige with hands holding up various brushes? Not even the Blend a Hand brush. If this wasn't so soft and nicely shaped and appropriately priced, I could have probably shelled out the money for a Wayne Goss or MAC domed brush. But I like the shape and density very much, I can apply foundation in the nooks and cranies, and use for contouring too.

Overall, I think this was a very justifiable haul, I mean. How can you reason someone not needed a fabulous foundation and powder and a great brush? My confidence (although not entirely vectored upon my appearance, makeup definitely helps) will increase when I put this on. God, even just thinking about when I can use these babies gets me giddy.